Friday, August 15, 2014

Are your tools ready for work?

So are you still picking up beach glass and pouring sand out of
your sneakers or are you back at work?

If your holidays are over you are probably a bit surprised to
find yourself getting back into your old routine so quickly – almost like you
hadn’t been off work at all.

Well here is a simple tip that will help you add some freshness
to your ho-hum routine:

Get Your Tools Ready!

...because you are going to get
busy creating.

Of course I am talking about your art making tools but this applies to any hobby.

It can be difficult to fit activities that delight us into our
regular busy schedules. And let’s face it, sometimes the thought of setting up
can be so daunting that we start to lose our enthusiasm.

Imagine you suddenly found yourself with the unexpected
gift of an afternoon off from work or perhaps a Saturday morning all to
yourself. How long would it take for you to dive into some delicious art
making?

Would you be able to pick up your pencils right away? Or, if you
are like a lot of people, would the preparation be an event? For example, would
you have to clear away all sorts of papers and catalogues and other objects to
find a surface area big enough to work on? Would you have to go searching for
that really great desk lamp that gives you the bright light you like to work
under (and possibly have to hunt up the extension cord)? Would you have to go
digging for a sheet of paper, muttering under your breath that you hope you
find something decent to work on because you sort of remember running out last
time and you are sure you forgot to pick up more...

You get the idea.

So my suggestion this week is for you to get your tools and your
space ready so that when a bit free time becomes available you can take
advantage of it.

I know this sounds simple and obvious but given the amount of
times I have heard students talk about this issue over the years, I believe it is
something many people struggle with. It doesn’t take much to dampen our spark
of enthusiasm and the effort required to get our stuff ready can be just the
dose of cold water we didn’t need.

This isn’t about having a separate studio room in your
home. Please don’t use the
excuse about how you can’t draw or paint because you don’t have a studio!This is about having some small space cleared and always available.
This is about having your art supplies stocked up and accessible. If you have
to stand on a chair to get a box of art materials down from a closet shelf, I
am thinking you probably don’t actually ‘move your tools’ very often.

my pencils patiently wait for me

If you can’t leave your supplies out, why not pack up a tote bag
with some basic essentials? You can hang the tote up, out of the way, but the
best part is that you are ready to take your art making on the road if the
opportunity presents itself.

You can sketch in waiting rooms at the doctor’s office, in
coffee shops, in the car while you wait for the person you are meeting or
picking up...Choose to be the odd person – the one not checking their email and text messages on their smart phone.

Of course you know that drawing regularly (even quick sketches)
improves your drawing skills exponentially. I am just repeating this truth. I
need to be reminded too!

I can hear you painters moaning about how I don’t understand. You
point out that you can’t possibly paint in a waiting room. Of course you can’t
but you can do some thumbnail sketches for your next piece, can’t you?
Something is better than nothing, no?

Of course, one of the great things about working in a dry medium,
like coloured pencil, woo-hoo J, is that you
can start and stop easily. I have put down my pencils many times so that I
could get something into the oven for supper or so I could start another load
of laundry. Then I return to my work in progress.

My point – art making can
fit into your everyday world.

So why not make your shift from vacation life back to
regular life more exciting by making sure art is part of your normal routine?

Why not spend a bit of time this weekend getting your tools
ready? And then grab those tools the first chance you get next week. Let’s rock
your world! Being back from vacation is going to be more than okay. J

Teresa Mallen CPSA

Welcome to my blog. I am a coloured pencil artist and instructor in Ottawa, Canada. My art is primarily a celebration of nature (although I do create abstracts occasionally). You can expect to see my works in progress here, to read about my life as an artist as well as snippets that reflect my love for the land, nature and the growing of food. Every now and again I post pictures of my wonderful goats and chickens. If you are passionate about art please join in the fun and please feel welcome to leave comments. I look forward to meeting you! I sincerely hope you enjoy your visit.

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